


Sleepovers

by PrincessSelene04



Series: We Rise with the Sun [4]
Category: Renegades - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/M, Forehead Kisses, Insecurity, Kissing, Max being a little shit, Morning Kisses, Sleepy Kisses, Spoilers, Tickling, adrian and nova being cute, adrian is bad at hiding things, nova is insecure again, simon calling hugh "cap" is definitely a captain america reference, supernova spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21708709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessSelene04/pseuds/PrincessSelene04
Summary: Nova starts staying in Adrian’s room because the rooms at HQ remind her too much of Cragmoor.
Relationships: Hugh Everhart | Captain Chromium/Simon Westwood | The Dread Warden, Nova Artino | Nightmare/Adrian Everhart | Sketch
Series: We Rise with the Sun [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1564663
Comments: 9
Kudos: 128





	1. Espionage

“Adrian, this is a terrible idea,” Nova said as they walked down the stairs to his bedroom. The wooden boards creaked beneath their boots and some dust floated around.

“I’m not going to let you say in that room anymore. Not when you can stay here with people who love you in a _much_ more comfortable bed.”

Their feet touched the floor and they walked to his door. Adrian opened it, pulling her inside with their fingers twined together. A duffel bag full of Nova’s few belongings was slung over his shoulder. He set it down on the chair in the corner of his room.

“Your dads are going to kill you if they find me staying here.”

“I know. Which is why they won’t find out. They barely ever come down here.”

She sat on his bed with a sigh. “The room at HQ was fine, you know.” It wasn’t perfect. It was all white and gray, with no personality, but it was functional. The mattress was comfortable enough but… well, frankly the entire situation reminded her of her time at Cragmoor. There wasn’t a toilet in the corner of the room at HQ, but the plain walls and lack of decoration made it feel a bit like a prison cell.

He gave her a skeptical look.

“Alright fine, it brought back some bad memories. But I can’t just stay here with you.”

“Why not?”

“Because your dads will kill you. Or maybe me. They’re still not my biggest fans.”

Adrian laughed at that. “You’re kidding right? They love you.” He walked across the room and sat next to her. One of his hands easily took hers and pressed her knuckles to his lips.

Nova pursed her lips. Hugh and Simon were far more accepting, yes, but she still felt like they didn’t like her. It’d been months since the Supernova and every time she saw Hugh he had this… look on his face that she couldn’t name. She was almost certain he was thinking about how Nova wasn’t good enough for Adrian.

“I really don’t think so,” she said.

He turned her face to look at him. “They don’t hate you. They… they feel guilty that the couldn’t do more for you. They feel guilty that your family was killed under their watch after they swore to protect them.”

Years of anger and grief made her want to say that he was lying, that the Council didn’t feel anything for her because they weren’t there when she needed them the most. But she knew now that wasn’t true.

“I know it might be hard to believe after years of thinking they didn’t protect you, but they’re trying now, Nova.” Adrian’s thumb gently rubbed her cheek. “They feel responsible for what happened to you, and they want to make it right.”

“I still don’t think me living here is a good idea.”

He smiled at her. “Well we can agree to disagree on that for now. If you’re still tolerating me in a year then maybe we can get a place of our own.”

Nova’s eyes widened.

“O-or not. Sorry. That was…” his face fell and he cleared his throat, looking embarrassed that he’d brought up them living together in the future. His cheeks were slightly red. “I was getting ahead of myself.”

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I actually don’t mind that idea.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

He moved forward and Nova leaned in. Their lips brushed together in a sweet kiss that made her heart leap. She could die in his arms right now and be the happiest she’s ever been.  
  
Adrian pulled back too soon for her liking.

“Hey come back here,” she said. Nova pushed his shoulders back onto the bed with a smile on her face. She rolled on top of him, her hands on either side of his head. “You’re not getting away that easily.”

“Who said I was trying to get away?”

Nova rolled her eyes at him, leaning down to kiss him again. This time it was less innocent and more desperate. She gently bit down on his lower lip and Adrian whispered her name.

“Yes?” She trailed little kisses across his face, getting his nose and cheeks and forehead and chin. Adrian giggled. That sound was music to Nova’s ears.

He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he heard the door opening. 

Max walked into the room, his eyes looking down at the watch on his wrist. “Adrian, can you draw me a–oh.” He looked up from the watch and stopped, surprised to Nova on top of his brother. “I can come back.”

Her cheeks were on fire as she moved off Adrian and sat up on the bed. “What do you need, Maxie?” she asked kindly. She hoped that her tone would make him forget what he just saw.

“Don’t call me that.”

Good. That distracted him.

Adrian sat up on the bed too, looking at his little brother. “What do you need me to draw?”

“Why are you here?” Max asked Nova. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Uhh…” Nova’s eyes flickered to Adrian. Surely they couldn’t tell Max that she was staying there. That would be crazy, wouldn’t it?

Adrian took her hand again to calm her. “She’s going to be staying here from now on, but you can’t tell dads.”

The borderline evil look on Max’s face made Nova’s fingers twitch in anxiety. He was going to go upstairs and tell Hugh and Simon right then and there. She hadn’t stayed a single night yet, and she was never going to be allowed back in the mansion. 

“Okay,” Max said, still smiling.

Adrian narrowed his eyes at his little brother. “What do you want?”

“Cake.”

Nova blinked. He… wanted a cake? Really? That was it? He _was_ only eleven, but she thought he’d want something more interesting like video games or a get out of jail free card or a trip to the zoo. But all the kid wanted was a cake?

“Done,” Adrian said. “What kind do you want? I can draw it right now.” He stood up from the bed and went over to grab some colored markers from his desk.

“Chocolate with caramel and whipped cream on top.”

Nova crossed her legs on the bed. She watched Adrian draw the cake on the wall quickly but neatly then pull it out seemingly out of nowhere. Plate in his hands he turned back to Max. “Promise you won’t tell dads?”

“Yeah, yeah. I promise. Now give me the cake.”

Adrian set the platter of cake in Max’s little arms. “Is that all you wanted?” 

“Well, I was going to ask for a new figurine since I’m rebuilding my mini Gatlon, but you don’t have to do that now. I’m gonna go to eat this entire cake.” Max grinned walking out of the bedroom.  
  
Adrian shut the door behind him and leaned against it.

“He’s going to tell them, isn’t he?” Nova asked. Her fingers played with a hole in her jeans, tugging at the frayed threads. Her heart pounded with anxiety. She should flee. “I should go before they come down here and kick me out.”

He rolled his eyes at how dramatic she was being. Adrian crossed the room and knelt down in front of her, hands settling on her thighs. “First off, Max isn’t going to tell. Second off, if he did, then my dads wouldn’t kick you out. They’d make you go stay in one of the guest rooms, which even that would be better than you staying at HQ.”

“Alright. Fine.” She’d believe him–trust him. It was impossible not to when he looked at her like that, with so much love and adoration.

“Good. Now I’m going to get some sleep. You can lay with me, or read one of my books or something.”

She pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I think I’ll do both. Can you sleep with a dim light on?”

“Yeah it doesn’t bother me.”

“Good.”

Every night for the next couple weeks, Nova and Adrian cuddled up in his bed. Most of the time, Nova read one of the books from his collection while he snored on her shoulder. His snoring was more than adorable. The sound would have annoyed her before, but now it grounded her. Sometimes when it’d been a really long day Nova fell asleep and found herself in his arms the next morning feeling safe and happy.

There were some close calls on his dads finding out. One time Nova had to hide in his closet. Another time she hid between the door and wall while Simon talked to Adrian for 20 minutes. But otherwise it was relatively smooth sailing.

That all changed about a month and a half after their arrangement started. 

Adrian woke up early on one of the days when Nova was tired enough to sleep. She was still fast asleep and he didn’t want to wake her, so he grabbed the book from his nightstand and opened it to a random page.

An alert on his Renegades bracelet chimed, but he didn’t move to grab it.

A few minutes later her heard loud footsteps heading toward his room. Adrian mentally cursed. Only one person in this family moved like that.

He didn’t have enough time to get out of bed before there was a knock on the door.

“Adrian?” Hugh called, waiting a few moments for him to respond.

Adrian didn’t answer, hoping that pretending to be asleep would make Hugh go away. He couldn’t have been more wrong. The doorknob turned and he was so petrified, he didn’t know what to do. He said nothing eyes landing on his blond father as he entered the room.

Hugh’s eyes widened when he saw Nova on the bed fast asleep. “What’s Nova doing here?”

Adrian open and closed his mouth a few times. The look his dad gave him made him shrink back. “I… uh…” He was going to be in even deeper shit if he lied again after the whole Sentinel thing, so it was better to say nothing at all.

“I’m waiting.”

He swallowed. “The rooms at HQ reminded her of Cragmoor and I didn’t want her to be so isolated there, so…”

Hugh raised an eyebrow. “So?”

“So she’s been staying here the last month and a half.”

“I see.” He crossed his arms over his chest, an act many would find intimidating with how Captain Chromium’s muscles rippled. “And why didn’t you think to just ask us if she could stay here?”

“I…” The thought crossed his mind once, but he figured they’d say no but Adrian would have done it anyway. “I thought it was better to ask forgiveness than permission in this case.”

Hugh hummed. “Well, we’re not going to kick her out, but she’s definitely not staying down here anymore.”

“O-okay.”

“We’ll put her in the guest room next to ours.”

“That’s fine.” It was more than fine, it was exactly what he expected to happen once Hugh and Simon found out. Adrian thought they’d keep the secret longer, but he’d take what he could get. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask.”

“I know,” Hugh said. “I came down to tell you that we won’t be home until late tonight. There’s still a lot of clean-up and law re-working we have to work on.”

“Okay.”

“Ask Nova what she wants for dinner tonight and we’ll pick it up. Love you.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

Hugh left the room, shutting the door behind him. When he got upstairs he was met by Simon’s grin.  
  
“So, did he get all flustered?” Simon asked. He took a sip of his coffee.

“Oh yeah.” Hugh stole the mug from his husband and took a drink.He ignored Simon’s glare. “I didn’t tell him we already knew. Nova did an excellent job hiding it, but our son is not the brightest bulb in the box when it comes to espionage.”

“He gets that from you, you know. You’ve always been flashy and dramatic.”

“I have not!”

Simon scoffed at that. “If you say so, Cap.”


	2. Morning After

Despite the stiff feeling in her limbs Nova awoke feeling refreshed. She always did after sleeping next to her boyfriend. Taking a deep breath, she stretched her arms, careful not to shift too much and wake Adrian. **  
**

“Morning, sunshine.”

Nova froze, startled to hear his voice. On the rare occasion she fell asleep, she always woke up before him. Rolling onto her side, she faced him. 

Adrian’s eyes were trained on the ceiling, not so much as darting over to her for a second. He looked… mildly worried. Was he finally going to decide that their relationship was a bad idea like she’d been expecting the last two months?

Instead of asking that dreaded question she said, “You’re up early.”

“My dad came in an hour ago.”

“Oh,” Nova said with a small laugh. “Which dad?”

Her lack of seriousness must have grabbed his attention. Adrian pulled his eyes away from the ceiling and met her baby blues with furrowed brows. “Hugh,” he said slowly, looking confused. “Why?”

“Damn, I owe Max ten bucks.”

“What?”

Nova grinned. She moved closer to him, lips pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. Her lips then wandered to his own.

* * *

Only three days after she started staying with them, Hugh and Simon confronted her during their weekly game night Adrian didn’t know existed. Well… confronted may have been the wrong word. It was more like a strange conversation. 

“You’re aware that we know you’ve been staying here, right? Hugh asked while spinning the dial for his turn. 

Nova hadn’t even been caught off guard when he asked. She knew it was coming, but didn’t think they would bring it up directly to her. It made more sense for them to talk to Adrian first. Maybe they already did? No he would’ve mentioned it to her.

Nova nodded her head at them. “Yeah, I know.”

Simon’s lips tugged into a smile. “Adrian is terrible at keeping secrets. “

“He kept the Sentinel from you.”

Hugh raised an eyebrow at her. The girl had guts, she’d proven that time and time again.

“He did,” Simon agreed. “But that wasn’t as important to him as you. He’s worse at keeping things he secretly wants other people to know about.”

Nova filled that tidbit of information away in the back of her mind. “So…” she said. “What now?” If they were going to kick her out, surely they would have said so by now. It sounded like they had something else in mind.

“Now we mess with him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Message us whenever you’re down there and he wouldn’t expect us to come down. That way we can all see that ridiculously flustered look on his face whenever he hides you somewhere.”

Nova grinned. “I like that idea.” She picked up her glass of water and took a sip.

“You can stay down there as long as we don’t become grandparents before the age of fifty,” Hugh added. 

She choked on her drink, face flushed and eyes wide. “That’s-that’s not–”

“Hugh, leave her alone.” Simon smacked his husband’s arm lightly. It was meant to reprimand him, not to hurt. There was no hurting Captain Chromium no matter how hard anyone tried.

* * *

Nova pulled away from her boyfriend’s lips then explained the conversation she had with his dads last month. She left out the part about making Hugh and Simon grandparents. That would be awkward for both of them.

“Let me get this straight,” Adrian said as he sat up. “That time when you hid behind the door for twenty minutes while my dad talked with me, and I had to grab his attention million times because I thought he would turn around and see you… he already knew?” 

“Yeah.” Nova sat up too, crossing her legs beneath her. 

“And they didn’t say anything about you staring down here with me?”

“Well…”

Adrian cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to continue.

“They said _something_ , but it’s not important.”

“You’re blushing.”

Was she? Nova reached a hand up to touch her own cheek. Her skin skin was hot, almost feverish if she didn’t know better. Damn her body for betraying her.

“Nova?”

She pursed her lips. “Basically said that as long as we didn’t make them grandparents before 50, then I could stay down here with you.”

Adrian’s face turned as bright as hers. He coughed. Nova wasn’t sure if it was a choking cough like she’d made when Hugh told her the same thing, or if he was trying to dispel the tension they suddenly found themselves in. 

“Um, he told me they were going to move you to one of the guest rooms.”

“They’re not. We already talked about it. They said I could use one as my workroom though. For inventing and tinkering and such.”

There were a few beats of silence. She couldn’t tell what Adrian was thinking. Usually she could read him so well, but whenever it came to anything about her, she was clueless.

Seconds later he was pushing her back onto the bed, straddling her hips, and his fingers were tickling her sides.

Nova tried kicking him away out of habit, but she couldn’t help laughing too. “Adrian!”

“This is what you get for keeping secrets!”

His fingers moved across her waist, hard enough that it rendered her useless, but light enough that her muscles spasmed from his touch.

“We were just–just having f-fun!” She giggled, trying to pull away from him.

He stopped for a moment, smiling down at her. Nova took that as her chance to flip them over. Adrian’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare…” he warned.

“Oh, I dare.”


End file.
